The beachfront triplex apartment in Guarujá (SP), which belonged to former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva according to Car Wash investigation, was purchased at an auction for the minimum bid of R$ 2.2 million (US$ 599,000). The only bid was made at the last minutes of the online auction, which ended at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday (15).

The buyer was businessman Fernando Costa Gontijo, who considered the price reasonable and said the apartment's symbolism can add value to the property.

"I am always on the lookout for good opportunities and I believe I've made a good investment," says the owner of Guarujá Participação, a company specifically created to make the purchase.

Gontijo, 64, says he has worked for 38 years with real estate in Brasilia, both in the construction and investment sectors. He owns more than a dozen companies in the industry, such as FCG Comércio, Turismo e Serviços.

Marcelo Gonçalves/Sigmapress/Folhapress

The beachfront triplex apartment in Guarujá was purchased at an auction for the minimum bid of R$ 2.2 million

He denies having political connections and says he saw the apartment at Solaris building, in Guarujá (SP), as a good opportunity. The building is located in front of Asturias beach, but he says the profitability of the purchase is still a bet.

As an entrepreneur, he worked for Via Engenharia, a company which was under investigation in the Federal District's kickbacks case called 'mensalão', involving former governor José Roberto Arruda.

Gontijo says he hasn't decided what to do with the apartment. "I will wait for the approval of the purchase, the official purchase documents, and then I will devise a project strategy for the property," he says.

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